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A heavy arm landed on my shoulders, and I instantly leaned back into Luca, knowing I was safe there even though I wanted to nut-punch him for all the shit he’d put Violet through. “Shaw, is this fucker bothering you?”
“Of course not,” I assured him. “Max and I are just getting to know each other. Right, Max?”
“Exactly. Shaw and I are friends now.” Someone called his name, and he rolled his eyes before excusing himself with a wink at me. “Gotta do some heavy lifting.”
I watched him walk away, the thick crowd trying to swallow him up, but as tall and wide as he was, I could easily pick him out anywhere in the room without really having to try. Once he was gone, I turned to face Luca. “She left.”
His face tightened with misery, and I watched as he swallowed hard a few times before finally nodding. “Yeah, I figured she would. Does he…treat her right?”
I wanted to hate the guy, but at the same time, I felt so bad for him. It wasn’t that he was a bad dude. Far from it. At one time, I’d considered him the model boyfriend and life partner, and I had wanted someone who would love me the way he’d loved Violet. His fuckup was what had sent me hiding from love in the first place because I was so scared of being hurt. If someone could love a person as much as Luca loved Vi, and he could hurt her so effortlessly, it would be nothing for any guy to do the same thing to me.
But not just any guy loved me.
Jagger loved me.
And I wasn’t scared of being hurt any longer.
If we could just work out this whole thing about my career.
“Yes,” I assured Luca softly. “Remington treats her like a princess. He would give her the moon if she asked for it. And as rich as he is, I’m sure he could afford to make that happen.”
“Violet doesn’t care about material things,” he muttered. “But as long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
I couldn’t help it. I hugged him, and after a small hesitation, he hugged me back. But it only lasted a few seconds before I pulled back and pointed my finger in his face as I glared up at him. “This means nothing. I’m still mad at you for everything.”
His mouth tilted up on one side in a sad excuse for a smile. “That’s okay. I’m still pissed at myself for everything, too.” He grabbed my shoulders, turned me, and I came face-to-face with Jagger. “See ya later, Shaw,” Luca said with a hard laugh as he left me there to face down a pissed-off rocker.
Dressed in black slacks, a blue button-up, and his hair styled back from his face, Jagger looked edible as his angry yet hungry eyes ate up the sight of me.
He caught my hips in his hands and pulled me into his heat, forcing me to bite back a whimper at how damn good it felt to be back in his arms. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
I lifted one brow as I lost the battle to keep my hands to myself and flattened them against his chest. “That was kind of the point. I needed time to think, and so did you.”
“Thinking is overrated,” he breathed as he lowered his head and trailed his lips down my neck. The overcrowded bar disappeared around us, and I dropped my hands, clutching at his arms to steady myself. “I know what I want. You.”
Reality set back in, and I turned my head so he couldn’t distract me with his lips. “All of me?”
“Every last inch,” he said, with such conviction, I began to melt against him. “I hate your job, but I won’t let it come between us, Dimples.”
“I don’t want it to come between us either.” I tilted my head back and smiled. “So, I was thinking.”
His eyes narrowed. “That could be dangerous.”
I playfully tapped him on the cheek—hard—but snickered. “I talked to Gina and told her to put in all of my future contracts with any and all clients that I refuse to do any commercials or ads of any kind where I have to kiss or be in a sexually compromising situation with anyone. The skimpy bikini and outfit issue isn’t something I can change because most of my contracts are with clothing lines that require I model their products, and they are typically small for a reason.”
Releasing my hips, he cupped both sides of my face as wonder filled his eyes. “You did that for me?”
“I love my job, but I love you more,” I told him honestly. “And while I’m not willing to give up my career, I will make compromises so I don’t lose you.”
“Baby, you’ll never lose me,” he vowed as he lowered his head. “No matter what. You’re stuck with me for the rest of your life.”
“You make that sound like a bad thing,” I murmured, lifting up to meet his lips halfway. “But it’s really the only thing I’ve ever wanted.”
Chapter 36
Jagger
As soon as we got home, I wasted no time in talking Shaw into moving in with me. Although she didn’t want to label it as us living together.
